HuffPost reporter Jon Ward on faith, family, and the love of the game

Matt K. Lewis Senior Contributor
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HuffPost senior political reporter Jon Ward’s career and mine have weirdly diverged. Two years ago, he ended up at the HuffPost after a stint at the Daily Caller. Around the same time, I moved to TheDC after AOL’s Politics Daily was taken over by HuffPost.

We basically passed each other in the halls. In fact, for the last two-plus years, I have occupied Ward’s old office at TheDC.

We’re both baseball fans, and husbands and fathers (a point that only becomes significant when you realize the average age in this business seems to be 22.)

And so, it was fun to finally have him on the podcast. We talked about his beloved Washington Nationals — and his career in journalism. But it was his response to a question I asked him about staying grounded, while also pursuing a career in journalism, that I wanted to share with you:

“[M]y identity is not based in how many bylines I have. It’s not based on how many times I’ve been on television or how many people see my face or know about me. Of course, writers are driven by ego. Of course, George Orwell said that. My identity, though, is, I’m a sinner saved by grace. That’s my identity.”

Very good advice for all of us, I think.

Listen to our full conversation here.

Matt K. Lewis